TonyG wins Betfair Asian Poker Tourney

[jetset]

TONYG IS THE BETFAIR ASIAN POKER CHAMP


UK poker star is to donate half his big winnings to charity


Top UK poker pro and online poker room owner Tony Guoga took control of the final table on day three of the Betfair Asian Poker Tour in Singapore this week with a combination of sharp banter and aggressive play.

The supremely cool and confident pro saw off challenges from top pro Lee Nelson, Swede and overnight chip leader Samuel Lehtonen, and local player Joshua Ang, winning a fat $451 700 top prize and pledging half of it to Asian and Australian charities to be nominated by Betfair.

Local player Joshua Ang managed to outlast eight other players at the final table. He won $233 200 in second place.

The final hand was all-in after the flop. Joshua’s ace-jack failed to beat ten-six after Tony hit a ten on the flop.

“His offer of a fifty per cent donation to charity is extraordinarily generous,” said Betfair’s Head of Poker Ben Fried of Guoga's pledge.

Guoga said, “I want people to know that poker is sport. This is not a large amount compared to what people like Bill Gates give to charity but it is a gesture to show that it’s not all about the money, it’s about the competition as well.”

An additional prize for the winner was a Merlion trophy as a symbol of Singapore, but Guoga showed his colours as a true sportsman by handing it over to his closest challenger Ang so that the trophy would “stay in Singapore.”

Ben Fried asked Ang to bring the Lion back next year when Betfair will return for the Betfair Asian Poker Tour.

Final table placings in this inaugural Singapore and Betfair tournament were:

$451,700 – Tony Guoga
$233,200 – Joshua (Ang Pang Leng)
$116,600 – Lee Nelson
$102,000 – Samuel Lehtonen
$87,400 – Jeff Kimber
$72,900 – Mark Whent
$58,306 – Hans Vogl
$43,700 – Hendrik Dahlgaard
$29,200 – Brendan Walls
$17,500 – Neil Yong

[spearmaster]

This could prove to be a huge boost for poker in Asia, with a local player finishing second - not to mention the generosity of the winner.

Kudos to Betfair, Tony Guoga, and Joshua Ang!

[cheekymonkey]

Mucho respect to TonyG for donating all that money to charity. How cool is that!

Also noticed Jeff Kimber (aka JaffaCake on Ladbrokes) up in the money again. He has had some nice cashes on the live scene now and I think it will just be a matter of time as to when he will actually take first prize in a big money live event.